Protesters suspend Little Creatures picket line

Protesters have agreed to suspend their picket line at the Little Creatures Geelong Brewery site until Friday, as company representatives and union leaders head into talks.

The pickets began at the site on October 22 and revolve around the determination of a sub-contractor on the site, Perth-based TFG Group, to use its own specialist brewery contractors who are not from Geelong to install brewery equipment at the old Valley Mill site.

It is understood Little Creatures, which is owned by Japanese-controlled Lion, formerly Lion Nathan, was losing more than $100,000 a day because of the picketers preventing workers from accessing the site.

TFG began Victorian Supreme Court action against the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Geelong Trades Hall Council secretary Tim Gooden personally late on Tuesday, alleging the strikes were illegal. However, on Wednesday the matter was adjourned to next Monday in the hope that talks would lead to a resolution.

Mr Gooden told The Australian Financial Review that the dispute was “about the failure to include Geelong workers in satisfying us that there will be some jobs available [for Geelong workers] and that employment conditions and standards will be similar or better than those in the rest of Victoria". He said that with several other breweries in the area, there were plenty of local specialists who could be engaged.

Mr Gooden accused German-based company Krones, which is carrying out the project, and its sub-contractor TFG Group, of failing to give unions any information about working conditions on the site, including whether there would be an elected health and safety representative or a “peggy" to keep workers’ sheds clean. “There’s been plenty of consultation but no information about who’s doing the job, how many workers they need, or whether there will be sham contracting," he said.

He said that if workers were hired on lower conditions than those of other Geelong workers, it would be a “race to the bottom".

Little Creatures spokeswoman Tegan Flanagan alleged the pickets were illegal and said “we hope the unions will now engage constructively with TFG".

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Ms Flanagan said: “Unions have made inaccurate claims about the use of ‘imported labour’ and unsafe working conditions. In fact, an estimated $20 million has been invested by Little Creatures and partners in local and Victorian businesses to date and TFG has advised that 95 per cent of its on-site workers are based in Victoria."

Regarding occupational health and safety, she said “appropriate OH&S processes are in place and the site is being managed according to them. There have been no incidences of OH&S hazards, incident reports or system breaches."

A TFG spokesman said: “TFG has always maintained that we are willing to talk to the unions providing the picket is removed and we are able to get back to work ... we won’t rule out legal action but of course hope the matter can be resolved through constructive discussions without an illegal picket in place."